The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus that estimates delays to be endured by customers to a queue.
In service systems having a limited capacity, it is known to place customers who cannot be served immediately into a queue until system resources become available to the customer. Often, customers are not given an estimate of the time when the customer can begin to receive service. If the customers are forced to wait "on hold" for a long period of time without such information, the customer may become dissatisfied with the service provider.
To provide customers with information regarding a time in which the customer can expect to wait in queue, some service providers may identify the customer's position in queue. However, position information may not enable the customer to determine how long the customer will have to wait before obtaining service. The customer cannot determine how many agents are fielding service requests or the rate at which the agents are completing service requests.
Other service providers may generate an estimate of the rate at which its agents complete service requests from its customers. A system having s agents each of whom, on average, complete service requests in r minutes, may predict that a customer placed in queue at the kth position will be served in k*r/s minutes. However, prediction based on such long-run averages may be subject to gross inaccuracies in specific instances. If long-term averages are not met in specific instances, customers may wait for a much longer time than is predicted. Such customers, too, may become dissatisfied with the service provider.
Accurate prediction could also serve other purposes. For instance, a service provider might provide additional service at some other facility after the first service is complete. The predicted delay at the first facility might enable the service provider to better plan for the subsequent service. The service provider also might use the delay predictions to budget its available service capacity, e.g., by adding agents when large delays are predicted.
For the reasons set forth above, there is a need in the art for a system that accurately predicts anticipated wait times that customers will incur upon entering a queue.